The present disclosure relates to surgical cutting and surgical cutting instruments and systems. More particularly, aspects relate to surgical cutting instruments and systems capable of both high-speed cutting and electrical probing or evoked potential monitoring functions, as well as components useful with such systems.
Surgical micro-cutting instruments employing an elongated cutting tool having a cutting tip (e.g., a bur) at a distal end thereof are well-accepted for use in various surgical cutting procedures, for example those where access to the surgical site is gained via a narrow portal or passage. The cutting tool is rotatably driven by a motor to effectuate a desired cutting procedure, and a handpiece effectuates and maintains coupling of the cutting tool with the motor. The cutting tool may be supported solely by the handpiece, or may be disposed within an outer tube for additional support.
Micro-cutting procedures (e.g., ENT) typically entail removing tissue, bone, etc., from bodily areas that are otherwise in close proximity to nerves or other delicate bodily structures. Thus, a danger exists of potentially severing or otherwise damaging nerves (or other structures) through inadvertent cutting or excessive heat. As such, conventional micro-cutting procedures oftentimes require additional steps and instruments for estimating nerve location(s) to safely complete the procedure. For example, evoked potential monitoring devices can be employed to periodically evaluate location of the cutting tip relative to nerves via patient response to an applied stimulating energy. While carrying out such procedures, a surgeon may be required to sequentially remove tissue/bone with the micro-cutting instrument and then probe a cut area for nerves (or other bodily structure) using a separate implement otherwise provided with the evoked potential monitoring device. This is clearly time-consuming and thus undesirable. More recently, systems have been proposed in which the cutting instrument provides both cutting and electrical stimulation (in connection with evoked potential monitoring) as described, for example, in commonly-owed U.S. Publication No. 2007/0100378. Any improvements in such constructions would be well-received.